TV gems still found on Big 3 networks

November 13, 2005

ON TV ALESIA I. REDDING If pressed, even the most devoted couch potato will acknowledge that television is, at best, a luxury, not a necessity. Cable TV, that is. (That's right: You can make it through the week without "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." And the world keeps turning even if you don't catch the 24-hour cable news channels repeating the same four stories every hour.) Given that reality, some people have determined, given certain current economic realities, that cable TV is one luxury they can do without. But doing without cable TV doesn't mean doing without good television. Really. Those with short memories or no memory of the days before cable reached its current saturation point may be stunned to discover that the folks at HBO, The History Channel and FX didn't invent good television. (Nor did cable invent bad television, despite such strong evidence as "The Surreal Life," "Pimp My Ride" and any show on the E! network.) More accurately, it created "more television": some great, some appallingly bad, most of it somewhere in between. Meanwhile, the broadcast networks have often been regarded as the stodgier and less edgy sibling, which in certain cases means: unwilling to take off her clothes and curse like a sailor. Anyway, for all of its faults, network TV is home to many good shows, too numerous to list here. I've narrowed my choices to three -- a newbie that's a refreshing surprise, a second-year series showing no signs of a sophomore slump and an established series that deserves more attention than it receives -- in honor of the good old days of the broadcast networks, when the Big Three ruled the television universe. And also in recognition of the post-cable "57 Channels (And Nothin' On)" reality that more doesn't always mean better. Limiting my choices strengthened my conviction that there's plenty to see over the air. I could have easily included such still-thriving stalwarts as "The Simpsons," "CSI," and "Gilmore Girls" as well as newer gems that include "House" and "Lost" and ... did I mention that this stuff is free? Anyway, here are the three, based on watching nothing but broadcast TV for two weeks: -"Grey's Anatomy." Although it toils in the shadow of the more buzzworthy "Desperate Housewives," this hospital drama deserves recognition in its own right. The writing is clever, the young and basically unknown cast is talented and fresh, the pace is quick, taking you from the puzzle of a patient with bizarre symptoms to the equally complicated relationships that exist among the doctors and would-be doctors at Seattle Grace Hospital (10 p.m. Sunday, ABC). -"Without a Trace." Like "Grey's Anatomy," this show could suffer from an inferiority complex. It doesn't receive the attention lavished on the juggernaut ("CSI") that precedes it. This quiet, understated drama about the FBI's missing persons squad is easy to overlook, but the lack of flash is one of the show's strengths, along with its cast, led by Anthony LaPaglia, who hasn't won an Emmy for his work simply because he hasn't chewed enough scenery to satisfy voters. It's absorbing and almost soothing watching the team reconstruct a "day of disappearance" timeline for each missing person. Week in and week out, "Trace" offers solid proof that substance trumps "edgy" and "quirky" in making good drama (10 p.m. Thursday, CBS). -"My Name is Earl." How did this sitcom get the green light at NBC? Unlike practically every sitcom the Peacock network has broadcast in the past decade, there's nary a wise-cracking witty and skinny urbanite in sight. Someone was (thankfully) asleep at the wheel when the pitch was made for this sitcom: A good old boy who's spent his life skirting the edges of the law repents after winning the lottery, vowing to correct the wrongs (all 259 of them) he's done. More goofy than groundbreaking, "Earl" also displays a sweetness in sketching its unpretentious, unsophisticated cast of characters. Still, "Earl" has a politically incorrect edginess that keeps the show from being cloying (9 p.m. Tuesday, NBC). Wait a minute: "edginess"? And it's not on cable?Staff writer Alesia I. Redding: aredding@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6348